Here's the skinny on Papaya Playa and the cabana scene in general as we saw it. If you're up for rustic, camping style cabanas with a gorgeous beach and don't want to pay more than $50/night in the high season, then Pplaya is a good place; just remember, you pay for what you get and there are some things you can do to make sure you get a better spot. There are some cabanas (numbers 43 and 45) which are pretty much gross and you don't want to get stuck in them. These cabanas are stuffy with moldy pillows and nasty mattresses. You can book online, but there is no guarantee which cabana you'll get as the place is ridiculously disorganized. If you pay under $45/night in the high season, you'll probably get put in these cabanas. If you pay more and show up at the end of the day on a busy day, you'll get stuck there too, and will have to negotiate the next morning to get into a better cabana. To get a good one, we recommend

1. showing up early (around 12:00pm) and ask to see the cabanas. Don't hesitate to walk around and check out the other cabanas if you don't like the one they assign to you. BRING YOUR RECEIPTS and any copies of correspondence you have with them. They most-likely will not have your reservation recorded correctly and will rely on you to know what's going on.
2. Aim for the following cabanas: #50, 27, 42 or the side by the bathrooms (cabanas with sea view in the #30s: to the right if you're looking at the beach).
3. Manage your expectations. you're not paying much - some cabanas in tulum on the beach are 4x the price (and are much nicer). You're basically camping. It's rustic, poorly managed, and Sergio has no sympathy if you don't like your cabana... no refunds.

In general though, the beach here is one of the best in all of Tulum. The cabanas are in a grove of trees, so you are really in a gorgeous spot. The outdoor bathrooms are very nice and clean (although hot water wasn't really there... we showered in the heat of the morning sun and it was refreshing). If you want something nicer or want to be pampered or want more of a scene, I would recommend going somewhere like Hemmingway's or Azulik. If you want a slight step up, head to La Vita E Bella where the prices are a little higher and the quality seems better. But again, of all these places, the beach at PPlaya is awesome. And really, that's all you need for $50/night, right? No bed bugs (in cabanas 50 and 49), woke with the sunrise, roof kept the rain out, beds under shade on the beach hung on swings...they were the perfect escape from the heat of the sun and we only saw them at a couple of other places (not the nearby cabanas copal or Azulik). Just be ready for rustic (geckos running around on your ceiling at night) and no pampering and you'll enjoy your time here. If you want to spend more (like $125 and up, I'd recommend going elsewhere where the staff and food will be better). The bar had swings and cheap drinks, but the breakfast was nothing special. Head to Hemmingway's for a gorgeous breakfast and the best Mexican coffee ever, and to Zamas for great dinner (and live music).

One more thing about the beds: the mosquito nets were less that great. A little stinky and with some holes. I could see this being an issue in the rainy season. We had no issues with bugs, but we would probably upgrade to another place if we came during the off season.
Also, the whole place could use some new pillows. Big time. Come on, Sergio! For under $50 you could really provide a lot more comfort to your guests! My pillow was a lumpy p.o.s. that had a lot of moldy stains... wish i had never looked under the pillowcase!!

We reserved 5 nights and left after 3 and by the time we left we didn't even care about the money they wouldn't refund. I agree with the others who were disappointed by the cabana's. There was an extention cord fed into the room with a light bulb, no other electricity and only the light for 5 hours. The paths are hard to navigate because they are unlit and rocky. The restaurant is beautiful but the food and service is mediocre. I loved the location, but they didn't even have a towel to offer their guests.

Sergio is very handsome, but he needs to find a new occupation. He lacks the customer service gene.

In the end we paid for 5 nights, they overcharged us by over $100 dollars, which we paid a year in advance, and we left after 3 days with a very small refund.

we would like to tell you about our stay in "papaya playa" tulum mexico.



in short: dirty cabanas, bed bugs, the owner not refunding the 55$ because we complained about his site.



we went there and asked to stay for 2 nights in a cabana. the price was 55$ a night. we payed in advance.



1. three hours after checking in we told them we're leaving after obly 1 night because we arrived after a hurricne and couldn't enjoy the beach. we never got our money back. we complained about the conditions of the site, the manager sergio got upset and decided not to give us our money back. there was a sheet of paper in reception saying no refunds, but no one told us that the whole time we were waiting for our money back.



2. the cabana - dirty. the private bathroom - hardly any water coming out of the shower, and also not draining. after a while the water stopped, and we had to use the shared bathroom. they ran our of toilet paper, and no one had any. (since our private bathroom wasn't working we gave people ours.) only before leaving, when we complained about the situation, they rememebered showing us the IMPORTANT NOTES to the guest saying you have to tell them to pump water to your cabana. it seems that note is IMPORTANT enough to have been posted in every room.



3. bed buggs - the day after sleeping in papaya playa we woke up covered with bites from head to toe.

There are many things to complain about. I will start in alphabetical order:


E) Expensive: Very expensive for uncomfortable bungalows, we were much more comfortable sleeping in the shared hamocks outside. Expensive food.

M) Mosquitos: we were eaten by mosquitos even with net which had holes everywhere.

S) Sergio (owner/manager): Rude, temper problems, obnoxious, profit seeker. Yelled at a nice waitress who was attending us and being really social and helpful at the restaurant.

S) Sheets: Dirty, we complained and they were never changed

T) Tolerance: We could only take two nights of this hell and then we left to a much more comfortable place for the same price.

O) Other

The region itself is beautiful, Tulum is a really nice spot, and there is a lot to do. Actually we are going in a month for the second time, but we are staying at a different place which has been highly recommended. Just avoid Papaya Playa, and the rest will be fine.